Pro-Palestinian protests have spread across US universities, continuing for over a week since their inception at Columbia University. The demonstrations have been triggered by Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas, leading to a week of protests, police crackdowns, and arrests.
On four separate campuses, approximately 275 individuals have been arrested, including 100 at Northeastern University in Boston, 80 at Washington University in St. Louis, 72 at Arizona State University, and 23 at Indiana University. Additionally, clashes have occurred between pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian demonstrators at UCLA, where a tent encampment was established last week.
The nationwide protests have garnered the attention of President Joe Biden, with the White House emphasizing the importance of maintaining peaceful demonstrations. At Harvard University, protesters raised a Palestinian flag in a location typically reserved for the US flag, while at the Washington Hilton Hotel, an immense Palestinian flag was unfurled from a top-floor window during the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
The campus activists are advocating for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict and demanding that universities cut ties with Israel and companies profiting from the strife in Gaza. These protests present a significant challenge to university administrators, who must strike a balance between upholding freedom of expression and addressing concerns that the rallies may have crossed into anti-Semitism and hate speech.
President Biden held a phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, reiterating his stance on a potential invasion of the Gaza border city of Rafah. The Israel-Hamas conflict erupted after Hamas operatives launched an unprecedented attack on Israeli towns on October 7th, resulting in approximately 1,170 fatalities and 250 hostages. Israel’s subsequent retaliatory offensive has led to over 34,000 casualties in Gaza, primarily women and children.
